BEING THANKFUL IN THE HARD TIMES
BEING THANKFUL IN THE HARD TIMES
There are many times I find myself forgetting to be thankful. And I have SO MUCH to be thankful for. But the circumstances of my life lead me to want to focus on what hurts me, and not what has helped to heal me.
This is why I love scripture. In Ephesians 5:20, Paul writes, "Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." At first glance, it seems like, of course, that is something the apostle Paul would say. But when you look at where Paul was at the time when he wrote this, you would understand why this is so significant. Paul was in prison. Of course, these aren't like the prisons we have today. He was probably in some dark, disgusting place with rusty chains rubbing his skin raw. I'm sure his treatment was not nice and the mice and insects probably kept him company.
How can Paul write about thanking God for everything when he is in such deplorable circumstances? It's about perspective and choosing the right attitude. Yes, he is sitting in prison. Yes, he is probably not comfortable. Yes, he is isolated from those who love him. But he is never alone. And neither are we. No matter what circumstances we are walking through in life, we have a choice about how we are going to look at things and how we are going to respond. Relying on God's power has a way of changing everything!
My first Thanksgiving without Greg was not my best year. The year before, I had missed Thanksgiving to sit with him in hospice while I watched him wither away in sleep. Thanksgiving had always been such a fun celebration. We had an annual tradition where we packed up the kids and spent the night at my parents house and we all helped prepare the turkey Thanksgiving morning. Greg would always bring mom and me coffee and run to the store for forgotten items. It was happy and fun and created such good memories. But the year I missed Thanksgiving was horrible. How can one horrible day ruin so many good memories from years before? I don't know, but the first year without him, I was hurting something terribly. I moved from one families house to another, just going through the motions. I'm not saying that I did anything wrong; I was in mourning. But I can tell you, the next year was not much better. After some counseling last year, I made a choice to change my perspective. Last year for Thanksgiving, I chose to focus on what was right in front of me. I have SO much to be thankful for! My amazing kids, family, friends, provisions...I could go on. And you know what? My Thanksgiving was good. It will never be the same, but that's the point. Even in the hard life circumstances, we can still move forward and God can give us new treasured joy, new fun and new precious moments that create forever memories.
If you are walking through tough times and not looking forward to Thanksgiving this year, let me just remind you that you are not alone; God is always with you! Also, I am praying for all who read this blog that God would show up big time in your life so you KNOW He is there. I am praying that He fills us with His peace that passes all understanding, a hope for a future and that we all choose to focus on what can help us heal and not what is lost in our beautifully broken lives.
Here's some extra fun! I found this recipe from blogchef.net several years ago, and these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies have become a favorite! They taste like a warm fall hug and go great with coffee for breakfast:)
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
Glaze-
2 cups confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon butter (melted)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cooking Instructions:
Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combing flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Set aside.
Step 2: In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add pumpkin puree, egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients until well combined. Add and mix in chocolate chips.
There are many times I find myself forgetting to be thankful. And I have SO MUCH to be thankful for. But the circumstances of my life lead me to want to focus on what hurts me, and not what has helped to heal me.
This is why I love scripture. In Ephesians 5:20, Paul writes, "Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." At first glance, it seems like, of course, that is something the apostle Paul would say. But when you look at where Paul was at the time when he wrote this, you would understand why this is so significant. Paul was in prison. Of course, these aren't like the prisons we have today. He was probably in some dark, disgusting place with rusty chains rubbing his skin raw. I'm sure his treatment was not nice and the mice and insects probably kept him company.
How can Paul write about thanking God for everything when he is in such deplorable circumstances? It's about perspective and choosing the right attitude. Yes, he is sitting in prison. Yes, he is probably not comfortable. Yes, he is isolated from those who love him. But he is never alone. And neither are we. No matter what circumstances we are walking through in life, we have a choice about how we are going to look at things and how we are going to respond. Relying on God's power has a way of changing everything!
My first Thanksgiving without Greg was not my best year. The year before, I had missed Thanksgiving to sit with him in hospice while I watched him wither away in sleep. Thanksgiving had always been such a fun celebration. We had an annual tradition where we packed up the kids and spent the night at my parents house and we all helped prepare the turkey Thanksgiving morning. Greg would always bring mom and me coffee and run to the store for forgotten items. It was happy and fun and created such good memories. But the year I missed Thanksgiving was horrible. How can one horrible day ruin so many good memories from years before? I don't know, but the first year without him, I was hurting something terribly. I moved from one families house to another, just going through the motions. I'm not saying that I did anything wrong; I was in mourning. But I can tell you, the next year was not much better. After some counseling last year, I made a choice to change my perspective. Last year for Thanksgiving, I chose to focus on what was right in front of me. I have SO much to be thankful for! My amazing kids, family, friends, provisions...I could go on. And you know what? My Thanksgiving was good. It will never be the same, but that's the point. Even in the hard life circumstances, we can still move forward and God can give us new treasured joy, new fun and new precious moments that create forever memories.
If you are walking through tough times and not looking forward to Thanksgiving this year, let me just remind you that you are not alone; God is always with you! Also, I am praying for all who read this blog that God would show up big time in your life so you KNOW He is there. I am praying that He fills us with His peace that passes all understanding, a hope for a future and that we all choose to focus on what can help us heal and not what is lost in our beautifully broken lives.
Here's some extra fun! I found this recipe from blogchef.net several years ago, and these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies have become a favorite! They taste like a warm fall hug and go great with coffee for breakfast:)
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
Glaze-
2 cups confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon butter (melted)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combing flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Set aside.
Step 2: In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add pumpkin puree, egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients until well combined. Add and mix in chocolate chips.
Step 3: Drop on a cookie sheet or stone. I use about a spoon full and flatten slightly.
Step 4: Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven and allow the cookies to cool.
Step 5: While cookies are cooling, make the glaze. You can add more milk to get it to the thickness of your liking. Drizzle glaze onto cookies.
Step 6: ENJOY😊
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